Footballer, a hard man whose passing saved us? (7)
I believe the answer is:
messiah
'man whose passing saved us?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'footballer a hard' is the wordplay.
'footballer' becomes 'messi' (footballer Lionel Messi).
'hard' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'messi'+'a'+'h'='MESSIAH'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for messiah that I've seen before include "champion, possibly" , "Handel's oratorio first performed in Dublin" , "Gospel saviour as prophesied" , "Hallelujah chorus work" , "Redeemer" .)